


Lumière et de L'unité

by lovebuglindsey



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Quest (TV 2014)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-02-12 17:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2119074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovebuglindsey/pseuds/lovebuglindsey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The destiny of Everealm has been placed into the hands of 12 Paladins chosen by The Fates. Together, they must face different tasks and obstacles until only one remains — The True Hero. However, unbeknownst to the Paladins, their destiny is intertwined with one of the famous wizarding groups of all time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“Rose, dear, come down it’s time for breakfast!” A woman’s voice called upstairs to a young girl who sat crosslegged on a window seat looking out over a hilly countryside. She had frizzy, flaming red hair and freckles scattered across her face, just under her bright blue eyes.

“I’ll be down in a minute, Mum, Pig’s just about here with the post!” She replied back in her high-pitched eight year old voice.

As Rose continued to look outside, a black dot in the distance grew closer to her. As it glided towards the young girl, every now and then, it seemed to dive towards the meadow, before darting back up, straight towards Rose. When it was about 50 yards away, Rose opened her window and held out her arm. Upon it, the little black dot fluttered down, hooting quietly; the pygmy owl was quite happy to return home.

“Well good morning to you too, Sir Pigwidgeon.” Rose smiled at the little owl, as she untied the small stack of post from his leg. “It’s time for breakfast, so I can assure you Hugo has something for you downstairs.”

With that, the owl nudged Rose’s arm affectionately and took off out of her room. She quickly looked through the mail and saw nothing of much importance; namely speaking, she saw nothing addressed to her. There was merely just a letter from her Muggle grandparents, a postcard from her aunt and uncle, and their daily subscription to the _Daily Prophet_. She began walking downstairs to breakfast, absentmindedly leafing through the _Prophet_.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, an article in the international section with a picture of twelve people caught her eye.   

> ### Everealm or Never-again-realm? 
> 
> Nestled far away from Muggle’s prying eyes, the fate of Everealm seems to be threatened as history has begun repeating itself.
> 
> Just 16 years after our own Dark Lord, Voldemort, was defeated, the residents of Everealm appear to be facing a challenge of their own. The Dark Force, known as the Verlox, is getting closer to overtaking the Castle Sænctum and destroying The Fates altogether. This has caused The Fates to select twelve Paladins (pictured above) to try to find the _One True Hero_. These twelve Paladins are seemingly Muggle in nature and do not possess any magical power in their ancestry. However, they are being trained by Queen Ralia XXIII’s Head of the Royal Army, Sir Ansgar, to prepare for battle.
> 
> Head Auror at the Ministry of Magic and the wizarding world’s true hero, Harry Potter, has contacted the Queen’s court and offered help should they require it. Potter refused to comment to the _Prophet_ on this subject.
> 
> We will continue to update you as this story unfolds.

“Rose, your eggs are going to be cold.” Rose’s mom, a petite woman with frizzy brown hair and brown eyes, said, waving her wand to pull out a chair for her daughter. Hugo, her five year old brother with matching red hair, was already sitting at the table, petting Pigwidgeon and sneaking him owl treats.

“Mum? What’s Everealm?” Rose questioned, admiring the picture of the twelve Paladins waving at her.

“What?”

“Everealm. There’s an article here in the Prophet about it.” Rose replied, “I didn’t realise there were other non-Muggle places.”

Her mom quickly snatched the paper from her daughter and began scanning the article. Brow furrowed, she called out to her husband, “Ron! Ronald!”

A tall and gangly, red-headed man popped his head into the room. Freckles speckled his cheeks and long nose, quite similar to that of his children. “What is it, Hermione?”

Hermione pursed her lips and thrust the paper at him. She watched as he read the article, eyebrows raised, before asking, “Did Harry tell you about any of this?”

Ron lowered the paper and glanced quickly towards his children, before trying to say nonchalantly, “Well, he, might’ve mentioned it. Not in so many words, but I do remember him saying something about Everealm and a Vortex.”

“Verlox, Ronald.” Hermione hissed, pushing him into the foyer, away from their children’s earshot. “Honestly, how many times do I have to tell you, you need to read _Hogwarts, A History_?”

“Apparently, not enough.” He said under his breath.

“The Verlox is an incredibly powerful force. Granted, nothing in comparison to Voldemort, but he was around during the time of the founding of Hogwarts. The Founders even had to deal with some of the aftermath.”

“Why did they never talk about it in History of Magic?”

“Professor Binns did cover it, but you and Harry were too wrapped up in the final match against Slytherin that year that you failed to pay attention.”

Ron’s ears turned red before Hermione continued, “These Paladins that The Fates have chosen, they…they really are the only hope for Everealm. Last time the Verlox came, the last Paladin barely survived. Some say that the Founders had even helped create the Sunspear so that it contained the qualities of each House. But…that was years ago… And if the Verlox isn’t stopped, it could mean another war here.”

The colour quickly drained from Ron’s face as Hermione said those words. Certainly nothing could be worse than facing Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard of all time, but that didn’t mean he wanted to go through another war. Another war that could take the lives of the remaining family and friends he had. Quickly, Ron glanced towards his children eating breakfast at the kitchen table, before refocusing his attention on his wife.

“But what can we do? Do we even know where Everealm is?”

Smiling small, Hermione shook her head, “After being married for over ten years, Ronald, I’d think you’d know me by now.”

Hermione went over to a low bookshelf in the kitchen and pulled out a dusty book with spidery golden script on the front, _Hogwarts, A History_. Placing it on the counter, she opened it up to a leafed page and pointed to a section about international relations.

“I remember reading this in our fourth year when the Triwizard Tournament was going on, thinking perhaps Everealm contributed any to the Tournament. But the Founders explain briefly about Everealm and in enough detail that I think we’d be able to get there with Floo Powder or by apparating.”

“But what are we going to do? I don’t think they’re going to really expect a group a wizards to come bounding into their halls.”

Hermione smiled knowingly as she placed her hands on her hips, “I think it’s time Dumbledore’s Army was reunited.”


	2. The Fates and Founders

“Is that what you call a hustle?!” A middle-aged man clad in battle material perched on top of a black stallion yelled at the group of young men and women in front of him. “I have seen the Grand Vizier move faster when he was headed to dinner! This is your life at stake Paladins! Focus!”

The Paladins ran past him and out towards a flag post 100 yards away. They had been up since dawn training; they were taught how to use a bow and arrow, the proper way to throw a spear, and a whole slew of other things before now running laps as if being chased by an ogre.

A female Paladin with short, maroon hair stumbled slightly as they raced towards the horse rider.

"Paladin Adria! You'd be dead if you did that in battle!" He yelled out to her.

"Sorry, Sir Ansgar!" Paladin Adria called back, reclaiming her balance and darting back into the pack.

"Sorry will not save your life!" Sir Ansgar snapped. He shook his head and held up his hand to stop the Paladins’ sprinting. “Paladins! You must realise the importance of all these tasks. Yes, The Fates chose you twelve to save Everealm, but only one of you will be the True Hero. My job is to assist you in surviving these tasks and becoming the best warrior you can be. The fate of my Queen’s kingdom resides in your hands, do you understand that?”

“Yes, sir!” The Paladins said in unison.

“Good. Now off to the castle; wash up before dinner.”  Sir Ansgar ordered them and headed towards the castle.

The shoulders of each Paladin began to relax as they trekked towards the castle. A young man with long, sandy brown hair said, “Did Sir Ansgar seem a bit on edge to you?”

“More so than the last couple days, Christian?” A muscular light skinned man laughed, “Not exactly.”

“Well, Andrew, wouldn’t you be on edge? I mean, it is his kingdom that’s being threatened.” Chirped the blonde haired girl in the back of their pack.

“Eh, I guess you’re right, Katie.” Christian shrugged, opening the door to the castle.

“Plus, isn’t being able to keep the kingdom safe part of his job?” Adria chimed in as they began their descent up the stairs to their rooms.

A few Paladins nodded silently, still weary from the day’s events. They had been training nonstop since they set foot in Sænctum two days ago and barely had any time to rest. Crio had informed them their task was going to be difficult, but rewarding for even the banished Paladins. When the Paladins first stepped foot into Everealm, they knew that it was not like any place they had been. A type of magic had entered their hearts when they first saw the castle and that type of magic is something that can never leave them.

A tall, young man donning short, sandy brown hair collapsed on top of his bed, exhaling a sigh of relief. With his eyes closed, he asked his roommate, “Think one of us really can defeat this Verlox, Shondo?”

“I think all of us could defeat it!” Shondo, a very muscular African-American, sat down on the opposing bed and exclaimed, “But yeah, and if there’s anyone here who’s a true hero, I’d bet my money on you, Jimbo Slice.”

Jim laughed slightly and smiled before sitting up. “We’re all heroes; we all have part of that Sunspear in us.”

“That’s right, buddy!” The two Paladins gave a loud high-five and began getting ready for dinner.

In another room, a girl with red hair in French braided pigtails said to her roommate, “Can you believe all of this is really happening, Patrick?!”

Patrick, a tall man stood leaning against his bedpost, looking out their window. “No; I really can’t, Bonnie. A few days ago I was teaching math to a bunch of teenagers and now I’m learning how to fight off ogres.”

“I know, isn’t it awesome?!” Bonnie was practically bouncing with excitement.

“Paladins!” A voice called out in the hallway, “Paladins, can you please meet me in the common area?”

The twelve Paladins started filing out of their rooms into the hallway and towards the voice at the end of the corridor. As they circled the table, a small African-American woman asked the source of the voice, “What’s going on, Crio?”

Crio, the local dreamer of the kingdom, who saw the prophecy of the twelve Paladins arriving, inhaled slightly, “I’ve had another vision, Paladin Jasmine.”

Murmurs broke out amongst the Paladins as Crio continued, “I am unsure if it is accurate, but if so, then we are in store for a larger battle than we ever expected.”

“What did you see, Crio?” Jim asked, concern displayed across his face.

Crio paused, looking at the faces of the Paladins before him. He was the one who led them to Everealm after they were chosen by The Fates. They trusted him and knew they deserved to know the dangers of their mission had been raised — but he couldn’t tell them until he was certain, for it could end up costing them everything.

“It’s best if I do not tell you. However,” Crio took a deep breath and continued, “I thought I ought to warn you that Verlox is getting more powerful and stronger each day. And it is imperative that you listen to Sir Ansgar and learn all you can from him. The type of darkness Verlox carries inside him and can cast upon our kingdom is something that will affect all of you, even once you leave us, if he succeeds.”

Although the room was silent aside from the crickets outside, a buzzing sound could be heard from the hearts of all the Paladins as what Crio said sank in.

“We’ll do whatever it takes, Crio.” The olive skinned and dark haired woman said from the corner, “We won’t let any harm come to Sænctum.”

“Thank you, Paladin Leticia.” Crio smiled slightly, worry still splayed in his eyes. “I believe in all of you being able to save my kingdom, for that I most certainly owe you my life. But now, please, let me escort you to dinner.”

The previous energy the Paladins may have gotten from their miniscule break between training and now, was gone, all of them focusing on what Crio revealed. When they first arrived in Sænctum, Verlox had already overtaken the other eleven kingdoms in Everealm. What could possibly worsen in two days?

Crio led them down a winding staircase and to the dining area outside, where large plates of chicken, vegetables, and homemade mead was waiting for them. A collective sigh of relief could be heard when the smell of the food reached the Paladins’ noses. Anxiously, they sat down around the table and began dishing out their food.

“Enjoy your meal, Paladins. You’ve earned it.” Crio smiled, still standing.

“Are you not joining us?” A young woman said from the end of the table.

“No, not tonight, Paladin Lina.”

“You’re going to investigate your dream, aren’t you?” The girl opposing Lina asked.

“Please, enjoy, Paladin Ashley.” Crio winked, “I shall see you all in the morning.”

With that, Crio turned around and quickly disappeared into the night.

 

* * *

 

While the Paladins enjoyed a feast fit for warriors, Crio headed out towards the Marwood, hoping to disprove his most recent vision. He silently wove his path, lantern flickering with the steady blow of the wind, thinking of the vision he saw early this morning. If what he saw was to truly happen, Verlox was not only going to reach the castle walls, but would also be powerful enough to become ruler of all of Everealm. And if that was the case, the only hope was that his vision did come true.

As Crio reached the tall trees on the outskirts of Sænctum, he heard a sudden pop about fifty yards away. Startled by the unfamiliar sound, Crio called out in a hushed voice, “Who goes there? Show yourself!”

Crio raised the lantern in the direction of the sound. The small shrub in front of him rustled slightly before he saw a small light emit from what appeared to be a wooden twig. The twig, which Crio soon realised was a wand, was held by a middle-aged man with messy, jet black hair and bright green eyes behind black framed round glasses. He had a cut above his right eye that looked fresh, as the blood was just beginning to gather around it. Behind him appeared several other middle-aged people, who Crio recognized from his vision.

“Oh, hello.” Crio spoke, still a whisper, but with more happiness than cautiousness, “You must be the people I was expecting.”

A woman with flaming red hair said in a British accent, “You were expecting us?”

“Oh, uhm, yes… Well, I certainly hope so.” Crio fumbled for words slightly, “You are here about the Sunspear and Verlox, correct?”

“You must be Crio.” A very pale woman with almost white hair said in a dreamy voice.

“Yes! How did you–never mind. Yes, I am. And, please beg my pardon, but I do not know who you all are.”

The man whom he first saw stuck his hand out towards Crio and said, “I’m Harry Potter. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Crio.”

“Harry Potter?” Crio’s face openly displayed surprise as he shook his hand, “Your tale has been heard far and wide, but I had never seen your face. It is an honour to meet you, good sir.”

Harry smiled politely, before the rest of the group introduced themselves.

The woman next to Harry was called Ginny; the dreamy woman referred to herself as Luna; a man who looked much like Ginny introduced himself as Ron and his wife next to him was Hermione; and the tall man inspecting the trees with much curiosity was known as Neville.

“Well it’s very nice to meet you all. Granted, I wish it was under different circumstances so that we could truly welcome you to Sænctum…” Crio sighed, slightly.

“So it’s true then?” Hermione asked Crio, “Verlox is soon going to overtake all of Everealm, just like before?”

“Unfortunately, yes, it looks that way…”

“And you have the Paladins selected. And the Sunspear pieces given out? The one the Hogwarts founders had helped forge?” Hermione continued.

Crio’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise, “Yes, yes, my, I didn’t realise how much you all knew about our history.”

“Well…Hermione does…” Ron mumbled slightly, his ears turning pink.

Neville plucked a leaf off a low branch of the tree and tucked it into his pocket before adding, “And Harry told us the aurors have been working to find more information to help.”

“I cannot thank you enough for coming when you did. I had visions of a group of wizards and witches appearing in Everealm during the first battle, which I’m now assuming were your founders?” Crio glanced around towards Hermione for confirmation, “Then, this must mean our one true hero will need your help to fight off Verlox. They are still in training right now, but I know they will need to meet with you soon.”

“Does your library contain information regarding the first battle against Verlox?” Hermione asked Crio, brow furrowed in concentration.

“Our Grand Vizier would know that information better than I would. He knows of the same magic that you six do and would know what you would need.”

“We will need to talk to him, as soon as possible then.” Harry stated.

“Of course. He may be a bit…” Crio paused, “Hot-tempered with the idea of outsiders, but he must know of the grave importance you hold to our kingdom.”

“We understand,” Harry spoke again, “And we would never want to overstep your boundaries.”

There was another loud pop, causing Crio to almost drop his lantern, while all the members of Dumbledore’s Army drew their wands in the direction of the sound.

“Oh please, Potter.” A drawling voice came from further in the forest, “You always know how to overstep your boundaries.”

The voice was owned by another middle-aged man with receding white blonde hair. He stepped forward into view and held a crooked wand in his hand that was lit up at the end.

“Malfoy?” Ron asked, slight annoyance in his voice. “What are you doing here?”  
Malfoy sneered at Ron and the others; the obvious tension and animosity was apparent to even an outsider like Crio.

“Weasley. Ha, didn’t Potter tell you? He asked me to come.” Malfoy almost spat at him.

“Harry, why would you do that?” Ron asked incredulously.

“Because… Well…” Harry scrambled for words.

“I asked him to.” Hermione cut in, seeing Harry’s struggle.

“Oh good, the Mudblood wanted me.” Malfoy glared at her.

“Good to see you too, Draco.” Hermione pursed her lips, “Anyways, from what I could read, we needed at least one representative from each house to help the one true hero.”

Luna, who had been inspecting the gecko who had scurried over towards her, spoke softly, “What about Hufflepuff?”

“Oh, Hannah said she’d be able to come if need be.” Neville spoke quickly, “She has a wedding reception going on at the Leaky Cauldron and couldn’t leave.”

“But we may not need a Hufflepuff,” Hermione looked around, “We may not even need a Gryffindor, Slytherin, or a Ravenclaw even.”

“So you’re telling me, I didn’t even need to come?” Malfoy’s cold voice spoke.

"It'd be fine if you left…" Ron muttered under his breath, only heard by Hermione who frowned at him.

“We don’t know.” Harry replied, voice on edge, “Whichever house the one true hero is most associated with, fills in that void.” He looked towards Hermione for confirmation.

Hermione nodded, “That’s right. The founders forged the Sunspear with the help of The Fates and put magic in it that represented each of their values — courage, wisdom, ambition, and loyalty. When the chosen Paladin received the Sunspear, something unexplainable happened… he… He was able to channel the energy of one of the founders to defeat the Verlox and save all of Everealm.”

“Who was the founder he channelled?” Ron asked.

“Helga Hufflepuff.” Neville answered proudly.

Malfoy scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Sure, a true hero is a Hufflepuff.”

“A true hero is a Hufflepuff.” Neville looked at Malfoy angrily, “Hannah told me the Hufflepuffs talk about this story all the time, but thought it was just a moral lesson. A true hero is someone who is honest, loyal, and can defeat darkness.”

Crio, who had been listening patiently this entire time, spoke up, “This is actually similar to what our records show for what happened and what the true hero is. I don’t quite know about your founders, but I know The Fates are not just looking for a physically strong Paladin, but one who is mentally strong.”

“Someone who can channel the spirit of a Founder.” Ginny said.

“Exactly.” Hermione replied, “Crio, when will we be able to meet the Paladins?”

“They are probably retiring to bed right now, but I imagine sometime tomorrow, after you meet with my Queen and the Grand Vizier.”

“Great, that will be perfect.” She smiled at the town dreamer.

“I imagine you do not want to spend your evening in the Marwood. They are quite prone to ogres. Might I invite you up to the castle for dinner?”

“Will there be pudding?” Luna asked wistfully.

Everyone, aside from Malfoy, laughed quietly, as Crio responded with a smile, “I shall make sure of it, dear Luna.”


	3. Tensions Rising

The following morning, Dumbledore’s Army was awoken by two loud voices at the end of the corridors of their rooms.

“Who are you to say that these outsiders are to stay in our queen’s castle?” A voice spat with anger.

“Please, they are no more outsiders than the Paladins,” Crio spoke with pleading and enthusiasm, “They know of the Sunspear and how to work the magic that it holds. They are part of the key to defeat Verlox.”

“The magic?” The other voice scoffed, “The magic that I know of, too? Do you feel compelled to bring in all outsiders to defend our kingdom? Is this some ploy to overthrow Sænctum with other kind?”

“Grand Vizier, please, just talk to them. They can help.”

Harry, who had been the first to wake, cautiously tread down the corridor towards the arguing pair. The man talking to Crio had on a long, embroidered cape, his hair slicked back, vaguely reminding Harry of one of the bravest men he’d ever known.

Having caught sight of Harry, the Grand Vizier narrowed his eyes before replying, “We shall see what the Queen has to say about this.”

With a swish of his cape, the Grand Vizier disappeared down the spiral staircase.

Crio looked over towards Harry, eyebrows raised in slightly distress, “I am so sorry you had to see that. The Grand Vizier is…very particular about things.”

“It’s not a problem,” Harry smiled slightly, “We’re your guests.”

“He was the same way with the Paladins. One could say he is a bit unwilling to accept the help of others, especially in terms of magic. He’s been studying magic since the age of two, and well, having such a large group of wizards here, he’s feeling threatened.”

“Honestly, we wouldn’t have come if we realised how much tension it would cause. We certainly don’t want to cause any more strife in your kingdom.” Harry spoke with much more poise and maturity than when he defeated the Dark Lord; his time as head Auror had not only improved his magic skills, but also his interpersonal skills.

“No, no, you had to come!” Crio shook his head, “Your Founders and our Fates had a partnership in creating the Sunspear; without you, I don’t think we can defeat Verlox.”

Harry nodded, trusting Crio’s judgement in this kingdom.

“Now, please, let us wake the others and go down for breakfast.” Crio said with a smile.

 

* * *

 

After waking up the rest of Dumbledore’s Army, the group walked down five flights of spiral staircases. The stairs were not constantly moving like they had been at Hogwarts, making the trip downward to dining area much less treacherous.

On the second floor, Crio pointed out the hallway that led to another set of rooms, stating that the Paladins slept here. They already had gone out for training, but would be able to meet with the wizarding group during supper.

The dining area was a large room off of the kitchen, about the half the size of Hogwart’s Great Hall. One long table spanned the entire room, filled with plates of waffles, fruits, oats, and large goblets of mead and pumpkin juice. At the end of the table, in front of a large, ornate fireplace with three swords crossed (the symbol of Sænctum), sat a woman in burgundy robes and a golden crown.

“Queen Ralia,” Crio bowed as they entered the room.

The Queen smiled towards Crio and the others behind him, “Crio and guests. Welcome.”

Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Luna all gave a short bow, following Crio’s. Draco, who stood just in front of Ron, glanced around the room, before Ron pushed lightly against his knee, causing him to stumble forward into what could have been a bow. Draco glared back at Ron, straightening up and heading towards an empty seat at the table.

“Now then,” Queen Ralia began as the rest took their seats at the table. Harry noted the man from earlier sitting to the right of the Queen with a plate of waffles and grapes, his eyes lasered onto Harry. “Harry Potter — it is an honor to be in your presence.”

“Thank you, as it is to be in your’s, your Highness.” Harry smiled courteously.

“,Crio has told me you come from Hogwarts and the Ministry, is that correct?”

Hermione was the first to speak up, her eyes filled with concern, “Yes, we heard about Verlox and knew our Founders had helped Everealm many years ago.”

Queen Ralia nodded, taking a small sip from her goblet, “Ah, yes, the Hogwarts Founders, I heard many tales about them. They not only helped defeat Verlox with the magic they infused in the Sunspear, but they helped restore our realm to its full glory before leaving us. I actually believe they were in Everealm long before the tension arose between Godric and Salazar.”

“I also heard Rowena helped create the curriculum for your magic community.” Luna’s dreamy voice filled the room. She was currently arrange a plate of strawberries as sunrays off of a small silver dollar pancake, but looked up to see Queen Ralia smile at her.

“That is right. I see your Founders knew much more about our world than we did of your’s.”

“Your Highness,” Neville started cautiously, “What can we do to help?”

“My Queen,” The Grand Vizier finally cut in, “Can we really trust these _wizards_? How do we not know they are spies from Verlox? Or trying to overtake the castle?”

“I’m sorry,” To the rest of the group’s surprise, it was Draco who spoke, “If we were on the opposing team, we would not be happily eating breakfast with you. If I really wanted to, I could have you writhing in pain on the floor with a flick of my wrist.”

“Malfoy…” Harry spoke harshly.

“Now then,” The Grand Vizier’s voice had no fear, but amusement instead, “I certainly would love to see you try. I’ve been learning magic since you were in diapers, you _peasant_. Do not threaten me with some silly spell a professor taught you.”

“You don’t scare me, old man.” Draco scoffed. Harry, who was sitting across from Draco, looked at Ron and Hermione for help. Ron mimicked a fish out of water, while Hermione’s brow was more furrowed than the time Ron was pronouncing _wingardium levisoa_ wrong. “I fought both with and against the darkest wizard of all time. And you think you calling me a peasant will make me back down? You’re nothing but a magician who can’t save his kingdom.”

“Enough!” Queen Ralia exclaimed, looking between Draco and the Grand Vizier, both whose eyes were shooting daggers at one another. “Vizier, yes, I trust these wizards. No matter their past, their Founders saved Everealm and they are following in their footsteps. And, Malfoy, is it? While this attitude may be acceptable in your place of residence, I expect more respect and tolerance in my kingdom. Whether you’re part of the Founders legacy or not, you will not come into my place and disrespect my people.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Both Draco and The Grand Vizier could be heard mutter.

The room was quiet for a few minutes as they ate in silence before the queen engaged the rest of the group in a discussion about Hogwarts and the magic in Everealm. They soon found out that the twelve different kingdoms had taken on different traits of each Founder. Sænctum, whose prime trait was that of leadership, was formed through Gryffindor’s ability to lead the other’s to forming the Sunspear. It was with the help of Slytherin’s ambition to overthrow Verlox, were they able to combine their magic with The Fates’ magic.

“I believe we have a picture in the library of your Founders.” Queen Ralia said, finishing her last bite of fruit.

Hermione’s ears perked up and eyes lit upon hearing the word library. “Would we be able to check your records for any idea as to what the Founders had done to get the Sunspear working correctly?”

“Yes, of course. Crio, could you please take them to the library?”

Crio stood up quickly, “It would be my pleasure. Please, my guests, follow me.”

Dumbledore’s Army stood up in unison; Ginny saw from the corner of her eye Draco purposefully bump against The Grand Vizier as he shoved off from the table.

The group began following Crio out the door before Queen Ralia added, “Also, Vizier, could you please accompany them if they need help with any spells they may not be familiar with?”

A look of shock crossed his face before The Grand Vizier spoke through gritted teeth, “It’d be my honour, my queen.”

The Grand Vizier pushed himself away from the table, flicking his cape around the front of him and stalked off behind the group.

 

* * *

 

“Paladins! Later this afternoon you will face your first task!” Sir Ansgar’s voice rang out to the Paladins in front of him. The group of twelve was practicing their sword fighting skills in the courtyard of the castle, many of them having only held a sword for the first time a few days prior. “This task will teach you of the importance of teamwork. You are to learn to work together as a team. While there can only be One True Hero, all of you are to help support and build the skill set of that Paladin. If you cannot work together as a team, you will not work as the One True Hero.”

Sir Ansgar began walking around the Paladins, inspecting and correcting their fighting stances and techniques. Jasmine, who was fighting against Shondo, lunged forward, aiming for his exposed underarm, grazing it slightly. “Excellent, Paladin Jasmine.”

“Thank you, Sir Ansgar.” Jasmine smiled as she deflected Shondo’s blade.

“At ease, Paladins!” Sir Ansgar yelled out, circling back to the front of the group again. The six Paladin pairs lowered their blades, looking at their leader for further instructions. “Do not underestimate the strength of every Paladin here. You all were chosen by The Fates for a reason.”

Sir Ansgar’s eyes glanced at the men and women before him. Adria, who had already proven herself as being very methodical and logical, gave a curt nod. Andrew, who was both strong and quick, but had difficulty focusing, stood with his hands clasped behind his back like a soldier. And Leticia, the warrior woman, held her head high, knowing she could easily take on any dark force that faced her.

“You have all been training well. Now go, enjoy supper before your first task.” He waved his hand to dismiss his troop.

The Paladins had another long day of constant training, but it was only half over. Before the day was up, one of them going to be banished from Everealm. One of them would know they weren’t the One True Hero.

Jim and Shondo were in the front of the group, leading them up the growingly familiar staircase inside the castle.

“It’s all about being a team, Jimbo.” Shondo was telling Jim. “All about doing the best you can and trying to get the dubs.”

Jim began to nod, smile on his face, when he stopped short. Bonnie, who was deep in conversation with Patrick and Katie, ran into the back of him, letting out a quiet yelp.

“Oh, sorry, Jim!” She squeaked.

“Why’d we stopped?” Patrick looked up in front of Jim, at a man who had just come out of the library.

His black hair appeared to be messier than before and his green eyes were visibly tired from behind the round, black framed glasses perched on top of his nose.

Jim, whose wide eyes were locked onto the man in front of him, raised his hand to his mouth in shock and spoke with both confusion and excitement in a quiet voice, “Are–are you Harry Potter?”


	4. Artifacts of the Founders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many, many apologies for the delay in this! I've finally got back in the writing groove and was able to write another chapter, albeit a bit short! Hopefully it's up to par and I haven't lost your interest! Thanks again for reading!

Jim stood staring at the man in front of him, eyes wide with shock and excitement. Harry cocked his head slightly, eyebrows furrowing. Before either of them could say another word, Neville walked out of the library.

“Harry, Hermione says there’s a possible spell that we can use to channel the Founder’s energy. Oh, hello there!” Neville’s attention landed on the group of Paladins, “You must be the Paladins! Very nice to meet you, I’m –”

“Neville Longbottom.” Jim finished for him.

“You’ve read Jo’s book, haven’t you?” Harry smirked.

“Every Muggle has read her book, Harry.” Neville scoffed at him, “You know that.”

“Wait, you mean J.K. Rowling?” Shondo interrupted, seeing as Jim was still trying to decide if this was a dream or not; perhaps he had been hit in the head during training and this was all in his head while he lay unconscious in the infirmary.

“None other,” answer Harry, “She’s a dear friend. Great witch, but even better writer.”

“What?” a voice said from the group of Paladins. Jasmine stepped forward, her look of shock similar to that of Jim’s, “JKR’s a witch? Like from Hogwarts?”

“This is actually quite enjoyable, isn’t it Neville?” He beamed at Neville. “Sorry, we don’t normally get to talk about Jo being a witch do to the secrecy laws.”

Neville continued, “But because you’re Paladins and you need our help, we can tell you.”

“So everything in the books is real?” Lina spoke up, “You really fought Voldemort?”

Harry nodded, “There may have been some creative license involved and a few embellishments here and there, but for the most part it all happened.”

Jim was finally able to find his voice, albeit a bit high pitched with excitement still, “You mean Quidditch is real?”

“Of course Quidditch is real,” a new voice said. Ron came walking out of the library, followed by the rest of Dumbledore’s Army. “Wizards would get too bored with Muggle sports.”

“And witches too.” Ginny added, “Quidditch World Cup is coming up even. If we all make it out of here alive, you can join us. I’ve got a press pass and we can get special seating.”

Murmurs of excitement rippled through the group as the Paladins let all of this information sink in. It was one thing to learn magic was real and an entire realm of magical beings existed; it was another to learn your childhood story was real, though.

“Ah, Paladins!” Crio came bustling around the corner, “I see you have met our friends. We will be having a group meeting later this evening after your first task to have a proper greeting. Sir Ansgar would like you all to go and eat now, however. He does not wish for you to be distracted and lose focus on your training, so please head down to the kitchens as I discuss more with Dumbledore’s Army.”

Somewhat reluctantly, the Paladins made their way out of the hallway; Jim, still flabbergasted at what had just happened, allowed a chuckling Shondo to pull him away.

“They seem like a lovely group.” Luna chirped as the last Paladin exited.

“Yes, as lovely as you lot.” The Grand Vizier’s sinister voice drawled as he strolled out of the library, cape flowing behind him.

Ignoring the negative energy from the Grand Vizier, Hermione spoke to Crio, “There appears to be a spell in one of your books that talks about channeling the energy from the Founder’s into the Sun Spear. It does require a fair bit of magic though and, like I suspected, a representative of each House.”

“That sounds exactly what you were looking for.” Crio said excitedly, “What is it we can do in Everealm to help you succeed?”

“They need to find the hidden artifacts of the Founders, of course.” The Grand Vizier’s lips curled up towards his eyes into a sickeningly sweet smile.

“Artifacts of the Founders?”

“Apparently the Hogwarts Founders hid four magical artifacts that could be used to power the Sun Spear here in Everealm and not in our own world.” Hermione explained, “They could be similar in nature to what Voldemort actually used to hide his Horcruxes in, but possibly something unique to Everealm.”

“Too bad Voldemort isn’t around to ask advice.” The Grand Vizier muttered under his breath.

A few stern looks were thrown his way by the survivors of the Battle of Hogwarts before Harry replied, “We believe that somewhere in four of the kingdoms they left these artifacts. It was important that if another group of Hogwarts witches and wizards came together to help you fight Verlox that they’d be able to find the pieces.”

“From what we can tell,” Ron added, “Verlox wouldn’t know these pieces existed. The Founders…failed to mention to anyone about how exactly the Sun Spear was supposed to be powered, aside from this spell. Thankfully Hermione has good reading comprehension.”

Crio’s brow furrowed slightly before he replied, “I’m afraid to inform you, but the other kingdoms are under Verlox’s power. Even if he hasn’t found and destroyed these artifacts, getting in and out of there would be a mission in and of itself.”

“Perhaps for you,” Draco smirked, straightening his jacket proudly, “But for a wizard?”

“Malfoy’s right.” Neville agreed, earning a slightly startled look from Draco, “Verlox and his army are prepared against the magic in this realm and possibly against the Paladins, but I don’t suppose you have an apparating spell?”

“Seeing as how I don’t know what that is,” Crio chuckled, “No, I don’t think we do.”

“And how do you plan to find all of these artifacts?” The Grand Vizier asked skeptically.

Hermione, whose face lit up like it had on numerous occasions during her time at Hogwarts, quickly raised her hand and led the group back into the library. An old burgundy book caked with dust lay open on the small round table near the far window. On one side of the book, an illustration depicted a group of four people in a circle with their wands held out towards a long staff with a globe at the end of it. At the top of the next page, in a scrawling script, it read _Lumière et de L'unité_.

“Here.” Hermione pointed to the passage below the title, “The spell itself is the title, _lumière et de l'unité_ , meaning light and unity, but most of the rest of the passage talks about how the Founders helped the kingdoms decide on the traits they believed were important. Right here it reads like one of the Sorting Hat’s start of term songs.”

Hermione pointed to the short poem structured paragraph in the middle of the page:

 

_With strength, bravery, and leadership,_

_Gryffindor shared the belief to fight for what’s right to_

_Darvia, Fortiteer, and Sænctum._

_Knowing wisdom, observation, and intelligence,_

_Ravenclaw showed the power of one’s mind to_

_Sanare, Glic, and Faisnay._

_Still believing in strategy, dexterity, and ingenuity,_

_Slytherin taught his craft to_

_Kunnacht, Lluas, and Austeer._

_And with diplomacy, honesty, and kindness,_

_Hufflepuff expressed an open mind and heart to_

_Arkis, Comharsa, and Oraa._

_Together the Four Founders and the Twelve Kingdoms_

_Completed a circle, uniting the worlds._

 

“It goes on after that to talk about how the Founders used the spell, but there was a line that made it seem as though an artifact from each of them had to be placed onto the Sun Spear to work.”

“But you don’t know what these pieces are?” The Grand Vizier added nonchalantly.

“If they’re similar to the artifacts Voldemort used, they could be anything.” Harry sighed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help Everealm, but he had already been through a wild goose chase to find lost artifacts once; he certainly hadn’t expected to do it again.

“If the Dark Lord knew about Everealm though, don’t you think he’d have used these artifacts instead though?” Draco added in.

“You-Know-Who wasn’t always the smartest,” Ron muttered.

“Could it be these rings they are holding in their hands?” Luna’s soft voice interrupted the groups’ conversation; her nose was buried into the illustration on the other side of the page.

“How did you do that?” Ron asked incredulously.

The once still illustration on the left had now come to life. Each Founder could be seen extending their wand arm and saying the spell as they raised their other hand to throw a small circular object towards the glowing Sun Spear.

“Oh I just asked if they’d move around a bit.” Luna put simply, as if it was an obvious thing to talk to paintings (which in Hogwarts' it was), “They looked like they could use a stretch.”

“Luna, you’re a genius!” Hermione exclaimed.

The fair witch smiled and began to hum _Hedwig’s Theme_ before she strolled over to the window, suddenly entranced by a vine outside.

“Well there you have it.” Ginny looked at the Grand Vizier, whose once smug smile was now resembling that of someone who had just sucked a lemon. “If we can find those rings, we’ll be able to power the Sun Spear.”

“Perfect.” The Grand Vizier replied through gritted teeth.

“This is perfect!” Crio smiled, looking more overjoyed than he had when Dumbledore’s Army first got there, “Whatever you need, I will make sure you get it. Anything to help save Sænctum and Everealm.”

**Author's Note:**

> Understandably, I do not know what the writers have in store for us in Everealm, so this story may have some errors in regards to it's lore and history. My apologies to the writers, Paladins, and residents of Everealm if there are any inaccuracies!  
> Thanks so much for reading!


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